While we patiently wait for Oceanโs 14 โ which is apparently still on the cards, according to Don Cheadle โ Warner Bros has begun developing an Oceanโs 11 prequel starring Australiaโs own Margot Robbie, whoโs on track to reunite with Bombshell director Jay Roach.
At this stage, details surrounding the screenplay penned by debutante scribe, Carrie Solomon, are locked away behind the proverbial vault. Although The Hollywood Reporter has learned the story will take place in Europe during the swinginโ 60s.
RELATED: โOceanโs 14โ Is Still On The Cards, Says Don Cheadle
In addition to taking the lead on camera, Margot Robbie has signed on to produce Jay Roachโs untitled Oceanโs 11 prequel along with her husband and partner at LuckyChap Entertainment Tom Ackerley. LuckyChapโs Josey McNamara, Oceanโs 8 director Gary Ross, and Olivia Milch will executive produce. Village Roadshow is also involved and may co-finance.
โSince the film does not officially have the go-ahead, thereโs always a chance it will not come to fruition. But if all goes to plan, the next Oceanโs instalment will go into production in spring of 2023,โ notes Dan Doperalski of Variety.
โComplicating the timeline, however, is the reality that Robbie will be busy promoting another film for Warner Bros Greta Gerwigโs Barbie is scheduled to open on July 21st of 2023. That means Robbie will be spending much of the summer on a press tour, talking up the plastic, fantastic story about the beloved doll.โ
When Matt Damonโs Linus Caldwell said, โI guess Iโll see you when I see youโ to George Clooneyโs Danny Ocean, Brad Pittโs Rusty Ryan, and by extension, the audience during the airport scene of Oceanโs 13โฆ we all assumed he meant within the next few years.
Little did we know, the franchise would come to a standstill for over a decade until Gary Rossโ all-female Oceanโs 8 fronted by an all-star cast of Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Rihanna, Sarah Paulson, Helena Bonham Carter, and more. But as previously mentioned, prequel and spin-off aside, the saga may soon experience further expansion.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly to promote his latest collaboration with original Oceanโs trilogy director Steven Soderbergh entitled No Sudden Move, Don Cheadle โ who portrayed British demolitions expert Basher Tarr โ revealed heโd been in recent discussions with the man himself about the matter. And it sounds very promising.
RELATED: โWedding Crashers 2โ In Development With HBO Max
โWe were talking about it [after Oceanโs Thirteen], and then Bernie Mac passed, and very quickly we were likeโฆ โNo, we donโt want to do itโ,โ Don Cheadle explained around this time last year.
โBut I just did a movie with Steven and he said, โI think there may be a way to do it again. Iโm thinking about it.โ And it didnโt go much further than that. But I donโt knowโฆ I donโt know who all would be in it. I imagine the main group of us would be in. It would be interesting to see.โ
In addition to Mac โ who portrayed the charismatic Frank Catton โ Saul Bloom actor Carl Reiner has also since passed away. Meaning Danny Ocean and Rusty Ryan will probably need to find a few others to fill out the crew; joining Elliot Gould as Reuben Tishkoff, Casey Affleck as Virgil Malloy, Scott Caan as Turk Malloy, Eddie Jemison as Livingston Dell, Shaobo Qin as The Amazing Yen โ who had a brief cameo in Oceanโs 8 โ and of course, Don Cheadle as Basher.
How Soderbergh has found โa way to do it againโ is anyoneโs guess. Especially since Danny Ocean ostensibly โdiedโ off-screen in Oceanโs 8. Perhaps Danny and Rusty will state it simply wasnโt Frank or Saulโs fight onscreen, similar to how they handled Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jonesโ absence as Tess Ocean and Isabel Lahiri respectively in Oceanโs 13. Perhaps crew members from Oceanโs 8 will pop up for this one.
Weโll keep you updated on all things Oceans 14 and the Oceanโs 11 prequel starring Margot Robbie.
